Drum.



T. WILSON.

DRUM.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-17, r911.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

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TOM WILSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRUM.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4., 1919.

Application filed January 17. 1917. Serial No. 142.945.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ToM WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Drums, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to drums, and particularly to improvements in themeans for adjusting the tension of the heads of drums. The invention isof particular value in connection with snare drums, for instance, inwhich it is desirable to prevent too great a tension in the snare head.In certain forms of drums now in use the opposite heads of the drum areadjusted simulta neously by the operation of a single adjusting meansinstead of adjusting the heads of the drum separately as was the commonprior practice. Although it is a great advantage to be able to adjustthe heads of a drum simultaneously by adjusting means, locatedpreferably at one side of the drum, it will be seen that the operationof the adjusting means on the two heads of the drum simultaneouslyordinarily tends to produce a greater tension in the snare head than inthe beater head because the snare head is usually formed of thinnermaterial and stretches more readily under the influence of the adjustingmeans. In order to secure the best operation of the drum it is desirablethat the tension of the snare head he not greater than or perhapsslightly less than the tension of the beater head. It is therefore theprincipal object of my invention to provide means for limiting themovement of one of the heads so that the tensions of the opposite headsof the drum may be varied and controlled, and although the improvementof the present invention is especially adapted for drums in which theheads are adjusted simultaneously, it will be apparent that theimprovement may be used with advantage in connection with other forms ofdrums. A particular object of the invention is to provide adjustablecontrolling means for use in a drum in which the heads are adjustedsimultaneously whereby the movement of one of the heads, such as thesnare head, may be limited or controlled after a predetermined movementthereof while permitting a continued operation of the ad usting meansfor efiecting a further tightening of the other head of the drum.

The nature of my improvement, the means by which it is carried out, andthe various objects of this invention, will appear more clearly from thefollowing specification taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which certain forms of my invention are illustrated.

In the drawings- Figure '1 shows a perspective view of a snare drumembodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through the drum illustrated in Fig. 1,showing the construction and operation of my improvement;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the construction illustratedin Fig. 2; and

Fig. 1 is a sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, illustratinga modified form of my invention.

This improved drum comprises a cylindrical shell 10 having mounted onthe ends thereof, the snare head 11 and the beater head 12, which havetheir edges wrapped around and secured to the flesh hoops 13 and 1 1respectively. These flesh hoops l3 and 14 fit over the shell 10, and themovement thereof inwardly fromthe ends of the shell causes the heads ofthe drum to be tightened. The adjustment of the heads, by means of theflesh hoops, is eifected through the hoops 15 and 16 which also fit overthe drum shell in the same manner and engage the flesh hoops 13 and 1 1,respectively. The hoops 15 and 16 are engaged at a plurality of pointsaround the drum by the hook members 17 and 18 having the hooks 17 and18* which engage the hoops 15 and 16 respectively, so that when the hookmembers are drawn toward each other, the corresponding inward movementof the hoops 15 and 16 will operate to increase the tension of the drumheads. The hook members 17 are provided with longitudinal bores orapertures It will be seen that the finger holds 21 are located,according to'the better practice, adjacent to the snare head of thedrum, so that they do not interfere with the operation of playing thedrum.

In order to get the best effect from a drum in the playing thereof, itis desirable that the heater head be adjusted to a tension equal to orgreater than that of the snare head, and in order to accomplish this, IP ovided mean r limiting, at a y de ir Point, he mo eme t o the snarehea whi h te ds .t st e eh and tighte mo -1" eedi y th n the ee-t h ad,s tha h co tinue ope ation of he adjustin m a W llther e ter r e ncreasth tension of the beater head without effecting the tension of the snarehead. In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this adjustingme ns ompris e e ie o studs, or lugs, 25 secured to the shell 10 aroundh centr l po tion the f, e log 25 having a la ra eylind i e exte sio 2and the part 25 26 o eeeh log r provided with central bores, orapertures, adapted to receive one of the adjusting screws ,20 an form abea i g the efor- Eaeh oi the parts 26 i hr aded o i outer side, asshown M26, and s engage by an adjusting nut 27 having an outer knurledsurface 2 adapted to be engag by the fingers of the operator. Theseadjusting nuts -27 may be moved to any desired position on the parts 26and be caused to engage the flesh h p f the sna head when the latter hasmoved to a predetermined point, so that further movement of the fleshhoop 1:3, or the hoop .15, will be prevented, and thereafter thecontinued operation of the adjusting members 20 will serve to increasethe tension oi": the beater head without affecting the tension of thesnare head,

Insteadof using the form of regulating or adjusting means shown in Figs.1 and 2,

said screw members may be causedto engage the flesh hoop '13 inthevm'anner previously described. I

By means of this invention the relative tensions ofthe opposite heads ofthe drum may he regulated and controlled in any desired manner whileemploying adjusting means which tightens both heads simultaneously.After the heads have been adjusted in tliedesired manner, they mayberela ed then upon retightening them they will automatically assume thesame relative tensions owing to the operation of the adjustable stops.

The snares 35 of the drum in the embodir'nent shown in the drawings areengaged by clamping means 36, which may be adjusted by means of thescrew member 37 which is threaded through said clamping means, saidscrew member passing through a stud 38 on the p 16 at e d, p ot ly egaging With n a s u 3 on he oop 115 at its oth end, wher by the en ion fth s are may b reg lated hi adjust ng mean r the nar o th d um-h ev r,on itn s no par of th p esent in ent onl gh I have shownend de e ibedertai-n em odime ts of the ven io for p p ses o illu tration, it w ll bend rsto th i may be ons neted in v o ot er orms w h ut depart g f mthspirit. of

my in ent on as defin in t e ppend d lai s- Wh I eirn i 1- In ombin tioa drum l the hea m unted on sai shelh hoop e gag n said head mean for dawing sa d ho p wa d eeh othe multan u y, en means mounted be een sa doops fo re ting the achi v ment of e of -.s id h op h le permit ng 'hidfi st men oned nieen to e se cont nu o emen o h ot e hoop- 2- 'Icombinat on, 2 dru shel dru head mounted o s d shel hoop ngaging s iheads, lamping means engaging id h ops and ha ing means f adju t ng hetension of sa d heads; and eans n tin independently of the adj sting mans an lying. in th path of mo m n ofone o said hoo sontwardly of aid hel or. ontrolling the mo ement f said h op ndep dently of; the othe I aIn combina ion, d um she l, drum head mounted o he hoops engaging saidheada-elamp ng mea eng ging said hoo s and haying mea s for adjustin thetension o said he ds, neen eeeP- erating with said damping means. ar une o t p ph ral s rfac of the drum-fo limiting the mo emen of: one of sid hoop i. In combinati a drum sh ll, drni heads mounted on said drumshe'll, hoensengaging said drum heads, amping mean engaging said hoopsand. ha ing mean 'fQ adjusting h nsion of b h of said heads adjustingthe tension of bo h o said h ad simultaneously, and adjustable meanscarried by said shell for controlling the ad justment of one of saidheads.

6. In combination, a drum shell, drum heads mounted on said shell, hoopsengaging said drum heads, clamping means engaging said hoops, operatingmembers engaging said clamping means for adjusting said clamping meanstoward each other, lugs engaged by said operating members and attachedto said shell, and adjustable means carried by said lugs to limit themovement of one of said hoops and permit the continued movement of theother hoop after a predetermined operation of said operating members.

7. In combination, a drum shell, drum heads having flesh hoops engagingsaid shell, hoops engaging the outer ends of said flesh hoops, twoseries of hook members engaging said second-named hoops, operatingmembers rotatably engaging the hook members of one series and threadedlyengaging the hook members of the other series, said operating membershaving finger holds adjacent one of said members of the drum, lugsattached to the shell of said drum, and stop members threadedly engagingsaid lugs and positioned to engage one of said flesh hoops for limitingthe movement thereof upon operation of said operating members.

8. In combination, a drum shell, drum heads mounted on said drum shell,hoops engaging said heads, clamping means engaging saidhoops and havingmeans for adjusting the tension of said heads, studs secured to saidshell around the outer periphery thereof between said hoops, andadjustable members engaging said studs for con trolling the movement ofone of said hoops independently of the other.

9. In combination, a drum shell, drum heads mounted on said shell, hoopsoperatively connected to said heads and surrounding said shell, meansfor drawing said hoops toward each other simultaneously, and means forholding said first-named means adjacent said shell but operatedindependently of said first-named means for arresting the movement ofone of said hoops while permitting said first-named means to causecontinued movement of the other hoop.

10. In combination, a drum shell, drum heads mounted on said shell,flesh hoops connected to said drum heads and surrounding said shell,means for drawing said flesh hoops toward each other simultaneously, andmeans for engaging one of said flesh hoops to arrest the movementthereof while permitting said first-named means to cause continuedmovement of the other flesh hoop.

In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name.

- TOM WILSON.

Ooplu at thll patent may be obtained for live cents each, by' addressingthe Commissioner of Patent-l.

Wuhingtol, D. 0.

